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Martin appreciates response from ISU transfers

Coach Fred Hoiberg is rebuilding the Iowa State Cyclones with the help of transfers from other Division I programs. In his second season, four transfers lead Hoiberg and the Cyclones in their bid for an NCAA Tournament berth.

After handing Kansas its first Big 12 loss, Royce White, left, and Iowa State host Kansas State on Tuesday. The Cyclones have a one-game lead ahead of the Wildcats in Big 12 play.

AMES, Iowa — No one with a background on a bus line works in the Iowa State basketball program.

The hire would have been understandable when Fred Hoiberg came on board. The former Cyclones star loaded his roster with transfers.

But Iowa State didn’t need a knowledgeable ticketing agent, just a motivated coach who wanted to jump-start his program by adding ready-made Division I experience while knowing the transfers he welcomed aren’t going to get any more chances.

“I don’t think it is that big of a risk,” Kansas State coach Frank Martin. “I think Fred was extremely intelligent in what he did. They’re good.”

Good enough that Iowa State (15-6, 5-3 Big 12) sits a game ahead of K-State (15-5, 4-4) in the conference standings entering an 8 p.m. Tuesday matchup in Hilton Coliseum. The edge was manufactured Saturday after the Cyclones handed Kansas its first conference defeat and the Wildcats were stunned at home by Oklahoma.

The transfer tally was not nearly as high at K-State after Martin took over. Yet a player who influenced his program greatly, point guard Denis Clemente, came in from Miami. So Martin understands the impact transfers provide.

In the case of Iowa State, that impact began last year when Hoiberg evaluated players such as Royce White (Minnesota), Chris Allen (Michigan State), Chris Babb (Penn State) and Anthony Booker (Southern Illinois). Forced to sit out of games in compliance with NCAA transfer rules, they did everything a scout team can achieve except sell Thin Mints.

“They really embraced their role and tried to help the guys that were eligible to play,’’ Hoiberg said.

Those practices became invaluable to Iowa State’s resurgence this season.

“You learn about your players, you learn how to use them and you learn how to put them in places to be more successful,” Martin said. “When I had Clemente here for a whole year, he learned the way I needed him to play and within our structure and our culture.

“But I learned what he was real good at, and it helped me to be able to create a structure within our boundaries to put him in better places. And that’s what they’ve got.”

The Cyclones’ attack goes through White, a diverse talent who shoots, attacks and distributes with commensurate capability. The 6-foot-8 sophomore is attempting to become the first player to lead Iowa State in scoring (13.6), rebounding (9.6) and assists (4.5) since Hoiberg in 1993-94.

Place too much emphasis, however, on defending White and the Cyclones can burn opponents with the 3-ball. They rank in the top 10 nationally with 8.8 treys on average.

K-State, meanwhile, made just 7 of 40 3-pointers in the past three games. During that stretch, Will Spradling was particularly chilly, missing all 10 of his attempts.

“They get 45 percent of their misses,” Hoiberg said. “That’s an unbelievable stat if you miss a shot, knowing you’re going to get the ball back half the times. It’s deflating for that other team if you can’t get the ball off the glass, so we’re going to have to have the same effort we had against Kansas.”